Box-sealing machine



May 4 1926.. 1,583,371

B. RICH vB0X SEALING MACHINE.|

Filed Deo. 1. 1924 g' L M Armi/uy:

Patented 'May 4, 1926., y.

UNITED STATES,

BERNARD RICH, OE s'r. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR `To AMERICAN SYRUP e ERE- lSERvINCr COMPANY, OE SI. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION yOE TENNESSEE.

` BOX-SEALING- MACHINE.

' Application led December T 0 all whom/t may concern: i Y

Be it known that I, BERNARD RICH, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Sealing Machines,

of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description, reference being had to the Vaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates generally to improveinents in box-sealing machines, and particularly toa machine which is adapted to retain the flaps of cardboard boxes in a folded condition to permit the adhesive,

which has been previously applied to said flaps, to dry and thusv secure said flaps in closed positions. 'i i Prior to this invention machines have been produced for sealing cardboard boxes, but most kof thesemachines included traveling rollers which were caused to-tra'vel over the' folded flaps of the boxes while the Yadhesive was drying. It has been found that vfor adhesive used to seal cardboard boxes to dry properly, said adhesive must be undisturbed during the drying Operation. In using a machine of the type having traveling rollers, it was discovered thaty the passage of 'the rollers over the Iiaps while the adhesive was drying would disturb or agitate said adhesive to'such extent that it would not dry properly, with the'result that the box would not be properly sealed.

The main object of the present invention is to produce a'machine having traveling members which will retain theflaps of the boxes in folded positions while lthe adhesive yon said'flaps is drying. However, instead of moving relativetothe iiaps as did the traveling rollers of the machines heretofore used, the traveling members of my impro-ved machine are stationary withl respect to the boxes, said boxes being caused to travel with said traveling members." Bythis ,arrangement the adhesive is not disturbed during the drying operation, and as a result the boxes are very7 securely sealed.

IVith the foregoing and other objects in viewLthe'invention comprises the novel vconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it is 1, 1924. Semi No. 753,078.

to be understood that the inventio-n compre-y Fio. IV is horizontal section on line Z'D IV-IV of Fig. II.

' Fig. V is a. perspective of a box of the type which may be sealed by my machine.

In the drawings, A designates my improved sealing machine which comprises a lower stationary frame. B provided 4with -a plurality of legs C by whichv saidlower frameis supported. rIhelower'frame B is provided with a horizontal row of rollers l mounted on transverse rods lj, which rollers are intended for a purpose'to be hereinafter set forth.

Arranged above the lower frame Bl is an upper frame D. The upper frame D comprises a pair of oppositely disposed rectangular side members 2 which support transverse shafts 3 and 4, on each of which is mounted a pairof spaced apart sprocket wheels, the sprocket wheels on vthe shaft' 3 being designated by the reference character 5 and thesprocket wheels onthe shaft 4 being designated by the reference character 6. Operating overthe sprocket wheels 5 and 6 is apair of sprocket chains 7. Arranged transversely of the vpair of sprocket chains 7 isa plurality ofpresser membersS, said presser membersbeing supported by and adapted to travel with said sprocket chains 7. It will be noted thaty the v transverse presser members '8 are supported'b certain of the links of the sprocket chains and by referringto Fig. III ofthe drawing it will be seen that these links are'each provided with anoutwardly extending lug 9 having an aperture 10 formed therethrough. Located at the'opposite ends of each of the transverse presserv members is a pair of pins ll which are extended throughv the apertures l0 in the associated lugs 9,' as shown clearly vin Fig. III. l2 designates coil springs which vare interposed between the presser members in a direction away from said lugs. Located at the free ends of the pins 11 are nuts 13 which limit the movement of said presser members in a direction away from the lugs 9.

Arranged atan end `of the shaft 3 is a comparatively large gear wheel 14; which meshes with a smaller gear wheel 15 fixed to a shaft 16. hfounted on the shaft 1G is a pulley 17 to which rotary lmovement is imparted by a belt 1S. llt is apparent that the relative. sizes of the gear wheels 14 and 15 will cause the shaft 3 to be rotated very slowly, which slow movement will be imparted to the sprocket chains 7 and presser members 8.

The operation of my improved machine1 is as follows:

The goods which are to be packed in the boxes X are placed within one of said boxes, after which the adhesive is located on the inside faces of the -[laps X and on the outside faces of the fiaps Xb of the box. The flaps are then folded so that the top of the box is closed and said box is placed on the rollers 1, which are located at the extreme left end of the lower frame B. rThe box is then moved inwardly until it is in such position that one of the transverse presser members moving lover the sprocket wheel 5 will contact with the folded flaps yof the boxand will force said flaps into firm contact with each other. As the transverse presser members which are in contact with the box move along the lower flights of the sprocket chains 7 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. I, the box will beV carried with said presser members, the rollers 1 over which the box passes reducing the friction -of the passage of said box to a minimum.

1t is therefore plain that the presser members 8 and the box X move the entire length of the machine without any relative movement between said presser members and said box, and it is apparent, in view of this fact, that the adhesive would be permitted to dry without disturbance during the passage of the box through the machine.

By providing spring-pressed presser members it is'plain that said presser members are at all times forced into firm contact with the flaps of the boxes which are passing through the machine, and in addition to this it provides means whereby said presser members may yield in the event that they encounter an obstruction, such as an improperly folded flap.

- To permit of boxes of different heights being` sealed by my improved machine, I provide means for adjusting the upper frame D vertically with respect to the lower frame B. This will increase or diminish the distance between the presser members 8 traveling along the lower flights Lof the sprocket chains 7 and the top faces of the rollers 1.

To illustrate a simple means for effecting the adjustment mentioned, employ a 'plurality of upright members which are secured to they lower frame B of the machine, said upright members heilig extended some distance above the rollers 1. The upper Vframe D is also provided with a plurality of upright members 1'6 which are arranged adjacent to the upright members 15. Fixed to the lower ends of the upright members 1G are plates 17 provided with laterally extended portions 18, there being one of said plates at the lower end of each individual upright 16. Secured to each upright member 15 a pair of vertically arranged bars 19 which are `spaced apart from each other in a horizontal `direc tion to provide a traelrway between said vertical bars. The upright members 15 and 16, as already stated, ar arranged adjacent to each other, and the laterally extending portions 18 of the plates 17 are extended into the traclrways between the vertical bars 19. It is apparent from this that the upright members 1G may move vertically with respect to the upright members 15, and it is also quite [plain that because the portions 18 of the plates 17 extend between the vertical bars 19 said upright members 16 may not move vl-aterally norV longitudinally of the machine with respect to the upright members 15. Formed on each of the upright members 15 is a lug 20 having an internally threaded openingthrough which a threaded rod 21 passes. The upper ends of the thr aded rods 21 are arranged to bear against the lower faces of the plates 17. lt is plain, in view of the construction just described, that by rotating the threaded rods 21 the entire upper frame D may be elevated or lowered, thus regulating the distance between the top faces of the rollers 1 and the bottom faces 'of the lower row of presser members 8. v

It will be noted that the presser members 8 are each provided with beveled side edges. These edges are provided to permit the presser members to move in an arc of a circle about the sprocket wheels 5 and 6 without causing the edges of Ysaid presser members to be forced into the boxes.

I claim:

A box-sealing machine comprising a member provided with bottom rollers along which the boxes to be sealed travel, and- BERNARD sion.V 

